Posted on January 26, 2023 in Books
John Wyndham was an English sci-fi author known for his works published in the mid-20th century. I read The Chrysalids by John Wyndham as assigned reading in middle school and remember it leaving an impression. It was helped by the fact that I had one of my favourite English teachers at the time. In any case, I wanted to try more Wyndham especially since this book is in the 1001 Books list and I managed to get a copy.
The premise that a small town of women are suddenly impregnated after a day out through xenogenesis is horrible. The concepts in this book and in Wyndham’s books make him one of the most interesting of sci-fi authors. Having read David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, I can see how Wyndham influenced them more so with the Chrysalids though.
It has been decades since I read the Chrysalids so I can’t offer a great comparison on the writing except that the children in that book were the central characters. Here, the children are the antagonists. The writing feels a bit heavy handed since it’s a bunch of mostly male adults talking a lot. There are not enough from the female characters at all which is disappointing given that they suffer so much by the plot.
I do think the themes and the creepiness make this book and Wyndham’s interesting.
3.5/5 stars. Read January 3-4, 2022.
Posted on January 16, 2023 in Books
This review is overdue. I am writing and finishing it now in another country but posting it after my holiday. This novel was the last novel I read in 2022 and one of the best.
This is a true classic. It is well written with a large, diverse cast of characters, some that you root for and some that you love to hate. It feels humane and true to life. It’s very similar to classics such as War and Peace, Far from the Madding Crowd,, Middlemarch (which I haven’t read yet but it always feels like I have), and Jane Austen novels.
This is one of the longest single volume novels in English literature. I was fortunate to read this over the course of three days including Remembrance Day so I did not have to work. I was was feeling poorly due to my covid booster but it allowed me to get through most of this novel thankfully.
Like the war parts War and Peace, I did find the political aspects of the novel a tad boring and my attention waned. Other than that, everything else was engrossing. The characters are rich. Everything happens in the space of the year but it did not feel tedious or long. I did worry that things would not resolve quickly enough because the pace was not as quick as it could have been. Then again, that sort of reflects life.
There is some tragedy and I was surprised that I was triggered by a mentally ill character in this novel. One of the characters experiences episodes of psychosis. I’ve had experiences with someone very close to me who has gone through it. I felt very sad and disturbed when reading the passages.
I know a sequel was announced about 14 years ago, and I am looking forward to it whenever it does get published.
Reading this novel reminded how much I love classics and reminded me about the 1001 books list. I revived it and will aim to read more classical books fro my stash in 2023.
5/5 stars. Read November 10-12, 2022. Review finished January 1, 2023.
Posted on September 5, 2017 in Books
Vacation book #2. I had read that this book was one of the most interesting Christie novels alongside The Murder of Royger Ackroyd.
I generally like the pacing of Christie’s novels and enjoyed Poirot and Miss Marple in the past. This one only had one Christie regular: Colonel Race. He did seem rather dashing in this novel.
The plot was alright. I do not know how I ended up reading two mystery books related to South Africa in one vacation.
The protagonist Anne Beddingfield is fun though her origin story seems slap dash. Then again, I think that’s consistent with most of Christie’s protagonists. I was surprised how she hated some woman she never met rather than the actual man who tried to kill her more than once. She couldn’t stand a woman who pretended to love a man especially her own man in the past, but the guy who tried to kill her was A-Ok. Not a great lesson that.
There is a rather bucolic ending too. All in all, a nice jaunt in Christie’s universe but nothing spectacular.
Read August 10-12, 2017 on Kindle.
Posted on August 31, 2017 in Books
This was one of my vacation books. I am not sure why I didn’t read Live and Let Die first. I guess it was not on Kindle for some reason.
I enjoyed Casino Royale well enough. These books should be decent pulp fiction easy for the holidays. When Bond was going to New York, I too was on a plane.
I didn’t know what to expect, but given this book did not inspire one of the better Connery Bond films, I should have expected the mediocrity. I understand these are older books, but this book had misogyny, racism, and homophobia at various points. Hit the jackpot. Aside from that, the book’s plot and villain are rather weak. Not an awful book, but certainly boring and not the best.
I debated whether to put this in the Classics club. The series as a whole is a classic and I really did like Casino Royale. This book in the series does not hold up well though. In the end, I put it in.
I will still continue to read the Flemming books.
Read August 6-9, 2017 on Kindle.
Posted on June 2, 2016 in Books
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure or Fanny Hill by John Cleland is considered the first pornography in novel form. This book was widely banned, illegally published, and denounced by its author. It is definitely a classic in an infamous way at least. But is it a good novel?
Continue reading →
Posted on May 17, 2016 in Books
When I was a kid, I enjoyed Charlotte’s Web so I wanted to read another E. B. White book. I have not seen the Stuart Little movies either.
This was a nice little children’s book which is written more of a series of short stories on the adventures of Stuart Little. I liked most of the stories. The characters were sweet and I liked the New York City setting too. Margola the bird and the Little parents were lovely.
Stuart has a big personality too and it borders on being egotistical. It was amusing until one of the last stories where he develops a crush on someone. It is relatable but he then becomes defeated when things don’t go his way. The story ends there and rather abruptly.
The novel too ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. You can tell White was done with the character and stories by then so he just gave up without much of a ending.
All in all, still a sweet and nice children’s novel.
Read May 15, 2016.
Posted on March 31, 2016 in Books
This was the right spring time book for an Easter read. I’ve seen more than one adaptation of this book on TV and movies. I also think I read at the very least an adapted version of this as a kid.
I liked the transformation of spoiled and sour Mary into a kinder and more robust one. I was less interested in Colin and the move shifts more to him in the latter half. Dickon is a funny character too. I do genuinely like the kindness of the characters that Burnett writes about it here and in A Little Princess.
What I liked most about this book was that my hard cover was big and had lovely illustrations by Inga Moore. I think that was a big part of why I enjoyed the story as much as I did. As a child, I loved a similar style book of Peter Pan. It really makes a worthwhile reading experience when children’s books are presented this way.
Read March 27, 2016.
Posted on December 25, 2015 in Books
Happy Holidays!
In brief, I liked Joyce’s prose right away. There is something so simple yet good in how he puts words together.
However, the plot, the dialogue, and the character left me a bit wanting. I did like it in the beginning, but not much actually happens in terms of plot. You really have to relate to Stephen to enjoy it. I am not male or religious enough to have done so.
This book reminded me of Catcher in the Rye, but I like this book much better. I prefer Stephen much more than Holden Caulfield. It’s a similar angsty and reflective coming of age story but this one with a much more Catholic bent.
This was my first Joyce, and I do not think it will be my last. However, for a book less than 300 pages, this took me much longer than I would have liked. I hope Ulysses or Finnegan’s Wake is better, but I won’t try those out for awhile.
Read December 9-25, 2015.
Posted on December 6, 2015 in Books
This is a collection of stories from the same town of characters. I had hoped it would be like Gaskell’s Cranford, but it was a bit more like Faulkner and Stoner by John Williams.
Faulkner and Hemingway were allegedly inspired by Anderson. He is definitely a good writer and there definite moments of powerful prose and characterizations.
“Like a thousand other strong men who have come into the world here in America in these later times, James was but half strong. He could master others but he could not master himself.”
Anderson really seems to be able to get into a lot of characters in a quick succession of time. However, I found most of the stories too glum for me to enjoy fully. It’s one of the reasons I have no tried to read Faulkner again.
I yearn to read more books that are slightly less depressing. The ending is hopeful though I did feel I spent 250 pages with highly repressed characters. That’s a bit much. I did like it for the most part, but I do not think I will search out Anderson anytime soon.
Read November 30-December 2, 2015.
Posted on November 13, 2014 in Books
I am counting this as one Classics Club entry because technically I’ve reread most of the books except two.
- The Little House in the Big Woods
- Farmer Boy
- Little House on the Prairie
- On the Banks of Plum Creek
- By the Shores of Silver Lake
- The Long Winter
- Little Town on the Prairie
- These Happy Golden Years
- The First Four Years
When I started this read-along, I wanted to judge if the books were as good as I remember them and if reading them as an adult coloured my views. This was not my absolute favourite series as a kid, but it definitely had its moments. I’m someone who has always been pulled to the country and simpler life. I have a lot of old fashioned tastes and hobbies so the books worked on me in that level. I also enjoy history.
I was perturbed and saddened to find that Pa Ingalls did seem to be an irresponsible father at times. As much as he loved his girls, he was a bit shady and a poor man with finances. Most kids would have a lot of this stuff go over their heads, but even as a kid, I never understood why Charles Ingalls moved his family so much across the country. I also disliked the racism especially as voiced by Ma.
I would still read or recommend these to children, even though I have the aforementioned qualms. One of the best aspects of the series is Laura herself who is honest, brave yet realistic. She is inherently relateable to most young girls. The writing is good too. I think Wilder is a lovely writer. There is some memorable images and fun moments from these books. Credit to Laura and maybe Rose Wilder Lane for that. I think it’s written well for the most part.
More than ever, this readalong has really made me excited for Pioneer Girl. I look forward to reading Laura’s even less embellished childhood.
Posted on February 4, 2014 in Books
The Fourth Classics Spin from the Classics Club. As with before, I must pick twenty books, then a random number will be selected and each of us must read the number listed at X number by April 1, 2014.
These Spins are really useful because other reads and activities have taken me away from the challenge often.
My challenge is that I own almost every one of these books so I must read them to clear them from my shelves.
Posted on December 30, 2013 in Books, Movies
When I was around the age of Sara Crewe, I had seen the 1995 movie adaptation of this book and liked it. It was magical. I really adored the message about every girl being a princess and the sense of magic in the work. I didn’t know how true the movie was to the book until now.